New 'stall economy' bustling in Chengdu

Su Zhen peddles loquats and strawberries when tourists pass her small table near a five-story residential building in Kuixinglou Street in downtown Chengdu, Sichuan province.

If a tourist shows some interest and stops by the table, she promotes those two fruits, from the famous Longquan Mountain in her city, saying they are juicy and fresh from the earth.

Su, a 69-year-old woman living in a flat on the fourth floor of the building, only picked up the fruit trade in late March. This was after the Chengdu municipal government issued a circular permitting locals impacted by the coronavirus outbreak to raise income by setting up stalls in the street.

"Everybody can be a stall owner to sell fruits, snacks and whatever passersby like in the street as long as they do not impede traffic. A stall owner doesn't pay a penny to the taxation bureau, because the government is helping people who have become underprivileged because of the coronavirus outbreak," she said.

Su's daughter has undergone an operation for thyroid cancer, and her daughter-in-law's noodle restaurant lost money in the aftermath of the outbreak.

"To help my daughter and daughter-in-law, I buy fruits from a wholesale market and sell them near my home. Business is thriving because my home is near the (famous) Wide Alley (which is modeled on ancient buildings)," she said.

Su is one of more than 100,000 people in Chengdu who have found employment opportunities because of the so-called "stall economy."

According to the Chengdu municipal urban management bureau, over 100,000 jobs have been created in Chengdu since March 15 when the Chengdu municipal government issued the circular.

Before the implementation of the circular, the Chengdu municipal government had consulted experts like professor Tang Jiqiang of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.

As the earliest supporter of the "stall economy" to be introduced in Chengdu, Tang, chief research scientist at the SWUFE Institution, praises the city's urban management personnel for helping people who have become vulnerable in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Tang, who has visited many parts of the city where the "stall economy" prevails, has found urban management personnel mainly serve stall owners by assisting them in setting up stalls in the right positions instead of showing a condescending attitude.

Because the "stall economy" has given a shot in the arm to the local economy in Chengdu, several cities in Sichuan like Neijiang have followed suit, Tang said.